I would definitely try and incorporate as many different effective methods as
possible in my class so that the students would remain interested. Students really
don't learn well unless they are interested in learning the language and it's
presented in a way that catches their attention. This is true of all age groups,
and relates to Kramsch's ideas about learning context because students often can
identify with exercises that include contextual information and therefore are
interested in them. I would like to implement Krashen's library also, with comic
books and novels of varying levels that would teach context and vocabulary in a
fun way. I would try to make my classroom environment as relaxing as possible in
order to keep the affective filters low, and have students engage in casual
conversation on a daily basis. I agree with Omaggio-Hadley about the exercises in
many textbooks today not being helpful because they just require students to spit
out formulaic answers with little relevance to each other, so I would look for a
text like her examples of answering questions about the same story or a set of
phrases that must be completed that follow a story, and one that portrays accurate
contexts (and doesn't make students think, for example, that everyone in France
plays tennis).
New information at the i+1 level is important too, presenting new words and
grammar while still using structures that the students know...I would find i+1
material in stories and authentic examples of newspapers and magazines. I wouldn't
just present a new chapter all about the gas station and its vocabulary and never
talk about the last chapter (the ski resort) again until the final exam. Children's
magazines and other materials for ages 8-10 would be good authentic material while
not being too challenging.
I'm going to send what I have so far and write more later...